Sent
by royaltylaine
Summary: While figuring out a way to break up with her current guy friend without disappointing her father, Belle happens across a compromise that can either destroy her or provide her with the answer she's been seeking.
1. Chapter 1

It's a one-shot, but I may be inclined to write more chapters.

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Belle's new guy friend was proving to be a pain in her ass. His constant requests for sex were pathetic, an annoying attempt to solidify his claim over her. For the past month his pleas were becoming more frequent and their dates, fewer. She considered breaking up with him sooner, and the only reason she hadn't was because of her father. He loved Gaston like a son and would boast proudly of their relationship to everyone he knew. Belle loved her father, and the thought of letting him down broke her heart, but the idea of having sex with Gaston and his chauvinistic sentiments made her stomach churn. She hoped that her distaste for him would evaporate after a few weeks, but it only grew. Especially when he began pressuring her into sex. What Belle needed was an equal ground. A compromise. A way where she wouldn't have to sleep with him, but also satisfying his need for her body until she could break up with him. She sighed when the newest text message from Gaston appeared on her phone.

 _How 'bout some sexy nudes babe._

That text alone made Belle groan and roll her eyes. It basically shouted at her that he had no sense of respect for her or their deteriorating relationship. After turning on the cap lock, she thumbed the letter N, then O. For a moment, as her finger hovered over the send button, she had an interesting thought. A nude picture of her could be the answer she was looking for. It would stop the pestering requests for sex, at least for a while. Then she can take this brevity of time to figure out a way to break it off with Gaston without disappointing her father. This could work.

Belle leapt from her bed, crossing her room in a nightie under a housecoat until she reached the vanity mirror in her bathroom. Keying out of the text message section of her phone, she turned on her camera. She's never taken any erotic picture, let alone a nude one. Without knowing the first thing to do, she began peeling off some of her clothing. First her robe, then, one by one she pulled down the spaghetti straps of her silk nightie, letting it fall and gather around her waist. Now, what about the bra, she reflected. Knowing Gaston, he would probably say that it wasn't a real nude, and would ask her to take her bra off too. So to keep herself from having to take another uncomfortable picture, she slid the straps off her shoulders and reached around and unhooked her bra removing it as well as a bit of her dignity.

She stared at herself in the mirror. Men thought this was sexy. They were just breasts, two sacks of fat that didn't serve any purpose unless a woman had just given birth. Overthinking helped some, she wasn't as nervous about snapping a photo of her breasts and then sending it to him. She held her phone up to the mirror, unsure about how to go about this. Should she pose? Should her hair be up or down? Was the light in her bathroom bright enough? Should she point her camera at an angle, selfie style, or just straight on like a portrait.

All in all, Belle took a total of fifteen pictures. She had no idea trying to take sexy pictures would turn her into such a shutterbug. She posed with her hair up and a few with it down, some blowing a kiss. A couple of vogue ones, aiming the camera at different angles. Puppy eyes and duck lips. But she always made sure that the primary focus was her breasts. Arching her back and puffing up her chest, helping to turn her perky B's into voluptuous D's. It kind of empowered her. All the photos she took were tasteful, and a bit artsy, even choosing to add a simple gold chain necklace. The hint of color made her photos look more elegant and her body more sophisticated.

After, she scrolled through the photos until she decided on one picture that was worthy enough to be shown. Her head was slightly tilted up. It made her neck look longer and her shoulders even. Her face was playfully sexy, biting her bottom lip and smiling wantonly while her blue eyes held her innocence in their soft gaze. The picture screamed come and get me. But as it would happen, her apprehension was back, so she decided to send it quickly, without thinking about it, like ripping a band-aid off. She hit the share button on the photo, scroll through her contact list to the G's, closed her eyes, and tapped his name. In a millisecond her phone notified her that her message had been sent. She breathed a sigh of relief and went back to her photo gallery to delete those pictures from her phone and her memory. All except for two, keeping those safe for her own personal and private viewing. She had to admit it. She liked doing her little intimate photo shoot. It was just too bad she couldn't show the photos to someone who could fully appreciate them. She made a promised to herself that she would never do something like that again, at least not for Gaston. But unfortunately, she had this gnawing feeling that his little monster wasn't so easily sated. In any case, she would have to work quickly and figure out a way to put an end to their relationship

Ten minutes went by and no response. Belle giggled to herself. Boys -because Gaston was nowhere near being a man- were so easy to preoccupy. She pictured him drooling over her photo like a wolf salivating over its prey, touching himself and pretending his hand was her. She hoped his hand was giving him all the pleasure he needed because the photo was all he was getting from her.

The night was getting later, and Belle was getting antsy. She was sure he would have sent something back. Something simple like _Hot_ or _Sexy_. Gaston wasn't a man capable of writing sonnets by any means, but she would have at least thought he'd have sent something back by now. Anything. Just great, now she was feeling a little self-conscious. Was she not even good enough for the likes of someone as shallow as Gaston? She opened her contact list and scrolled to the G's. In her blind fury about Gaston, she mistakenly hit the name of her landlord, Mr. Gold, whose name was just under Gaston's. She quickly hung up just after the first ring. That was a close one. What would she and Mr. Gold even talk about on the phone at this late hour? Rent? Maybe calling Gaston right away was a bad idea. He would text her eventually. It was best not to think about it, so she turned off her phone and rolled over in bed.

A _what if_ thought enter her mind. What if instead of Gaston, she accidentally sent Mr. Gold the nude picture. He would probably assume she was trying to get out of paying him and raise her rent substantially for trying to solicit him with her nude photographs. Belle chuckled. It was impossible, she knew. She was sure she sent the picture to the correct person.

She had known Mr. Gold since she was a young girl. Before he became her landlord, Mr. Gold was her father's. She had a schoolgirl crush on him when she became old enough to know what a crush was. Whenever he was collecting rent from her father, Mr. Gold always made it a task to talk to her. He asked mostly about school, how were her grades and were there any new school projects she was working. Reminding her that his shop was always open and free to her if she ever needed an artifact for a school project or report.

Her favorite thing about his monthly visits to her father's shop was the books he loaned her from the collection in his pawnshop. Most of them were fantasy, fearless knights fighting off a variety of beasts to win the heart and hand of the princesses. But there was one book that he'd let her borrow. It was her favorite. Instead of falling for the insipid prince who was only saving the fair maiden for glory, the princess fell in love with the beast, who loved her fiercely. When she told Mr. Gold how much she loved that particular book, he smiled and told her to keep it. Scribing the inside cover with her name and a note: _May her light brighten, and shine on others as it has shined on me_. Even to this day, she still had that book. Nestled safely between two other alphabetized books on her bookshelf. She still read it from time to time. Sometimes only what Mr. Gold wrote on the back of the cover.

But as it did, time didn't wait for either them, and the years went on one by one. Belle's crush on her father's landlord faded as she matured, and Mr. Gold became reclusive and jaded. When she reached adulthood, Mr. Gold had managed to be feared by the whole town from his cynical demeanor. Choosing only to be seen in expensive suits, or scarcely seen at all, holding himself up in his pawnshop or his big pink house on the edge of town; other than when the first of the month rolled around.

Belle was one of the few people in town who didn't cross the street or shield their eyes just to avoid Mr. Gold. In fact, she loved holding conversations with him. Even though he seemed more interested in the welfare of the library he was leasing to her, like if the heating was adequate in the winter and other such things, but Belle could tell there were hidden layers under his snide remarks and impertinent reproaches. Once, while speaking to him about the types of genre Storybrooke's residents like to check-out, she saw him smile. It was crooked, only one corner of his mouth raised into a thin grin. But there was a softness in his eyes, and for a moment it felt like they were just two normal friends sharing a conversation. It was the first smile she had seen since she was a child, and it made her smile in turn. They stood there in the moment together. Her smiling and enjoying his company. Him staring at her like she was heaven's light. Then, all of a sudden, it was like he realized what he was doing and left abruptly, vowing to see her for next month's rent on the way out of the library.

The ten o'clock news was beginning its nightly newscast and still nothing from Gaston. What was he doing with that picture of her that was taking almost an hour for him to respond back? Was he showing it to his buddies, posting it online, seriously what? Belle rolled over in bed and reached for her phone. Maybe she was just overreacting. The phone services were sometimes sketchy on this side of Storybrooke; perhaps he didn't even receive the message at all. Belle gave another big sigh and checked her phone.

She had a new message, but she bypassed it and went straight for Gaston's text thread. To her bewilderment, there wasn't any picture of her attached to the thread, just his last message asking for nudes. But she was sure she sent it. Was there a picture of her breasts floating around on someone else's phone?

After contemplating leaving town, there was a ding from her phone and a text notification, reminding her that she still had an unopened text message. More to her surprise, it was from Mr. Gold. Splayed on his empty thread, were her and her bare breasts. The gold necklace wrapping around the delicate curves of her neck while the slack of the chain rested between her cleavage. Under her naughty photo was a reply.

 _They're quite lovely, Ms French.  
Could I trouble you for another one?_

She had heard Florida was nice this time of year.

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Thanks for reading.  
-RL


	2. Chapter 2

Gold's pov :) enjoy. Still T for nudity.  
-RL

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It had been a long day. All he wanted to do now was get some sleep. He reached into the depths of his pocket, pulling out his wallet and other scraps of paper that found their way into his pocket. Deeper inside was his phone. Empty and idle as always. He tossed the piece of junk on the bed and started removing his shoes. He had become accustomed to his loneliness, and on a hard day like this, he appreciated the monotonous environment of his home. But, every once in a while, he'd wished that he could come home to a house filled with mouthwatering smells of a homecooked meal and a beautiful woman who was glad to see him.

He was brought out of his absurd fantasy of obtainable things by the _vroom vroom_ sound of his phone. It was on vibrate. He hated the annoying siren ringtone of his phone when it wasn't. Wearily, he picked up his phone. It was a text message from Belle, and not just any ordinary message, there was an attachment too. Likely a picture, as most contained. All of his tenants chose this form of communication since a picture could explain their problem without actually having to talk to their outcast landlord. Snapping and sending a quick photo of a broken pipe, or rotting shingles along with a small text briefly explaining their problems were all they needed to do nowadays. From there it would be a call to the associated companies, plumbers for the pipes and a roofer for the shingles. Technology made dealing with his clients so much easier. He seldom had to socialize with them thanks to smartphones. But as it were, Gold was a man of nostalgia, he liked the good old times, preferring the old fashion way of collecting rent. Door to door. He relished the looks on his renters' faces when they opened their door. The ' _Oh my God, he really is real'_ looks. The _'Hide your firstborns'_ ones. Or his personal favorite, _'Here's your money, it's all there, I swear'_.

The only one of his tenants who didn't quake in fear from his monthly shakedowns was the woman who'd just texted him, Belle French. Adding more to his suspicion about the town's librarian, she seemed more pleased by his arrivals, than troubled. She always had innocent tidbits about the townspeople who'd visited her establishment, like how the owner of Granny's diner preferred books in the library's small collection of sexual self-helps. He could have spent a lifetime without knowing that information, but it didn't matter. The knowledge of Granny's love for dirty novels was worth its weight in gold just to listen to her voice, confiding in him, to see her smile and hear her giggle.

He didn't know why he loved that smile of hers so much, having known her for a while, he never really paid attention to how lovely it was until she begun renting from him. He always made sure to leave her collection for last. So that the last thing he would see, at the end of his long day, was her. Even when she was an adolescent, her father's floral shop was always his last stop. He would carry a book for her, from shop to shop and house to house, all day long, just to give it to her and hear how much she loved the last book he loaned her.

Now the adult version of that intelligent young girl was texting him. At nine at night, he reflected looking at his wristwatch. He knew he should have hired someone more skilled than Leroy, but the irritable handyman made a convincing argument that his work could be compared to any heating engineer or electrician in town, at half the price too. It was his fault for being cheap, but his tenant shouldn't have to suffer his mistake, especially this particular tenant. It wasn't too late at night. He could send Leroy over to do a quick-fix until he could get a real electrician to take care of the library's heating problem in the morning.

He clicked the message, and it opened immediately. Filling his screen from top to bottom, was a picture of her. At first glance his eyes betrayed him. His vision blurred the photo, either that or he had a heart attack. He wasn't entirely sure. He felt a throbbing sensation in one of his extremities, but thankfully it wasn't in any of his limbs. He blinked widely and focused his vision, helping the picture's edges to line up until it became clear. It was a topless photo of Belle. He fell back onto his bed clumsily. It was like someone sucked all the air out of his lungs. Was he even breathing? Putting his phone face down next to him revealed that he had not been.

He took a deep breath and exhaled. With a clear head and a steady heartbeat, he reached for his phone and re-examined it. Looking at it without feeling lightheaded was proving to be a difficult feat, and soon he feared, if the way his head swam was any indication, he'd be fighting to keep a bit of his sanity too. His mind began conjuring questions. What could this picture mean? Reasoning with himself, Belle could have simply sent it to the wrong number. But then who was the photo meant for? From his recollection of Belle and their chats, she wasn't in any relationship. Unmarried and very, _very_ available. Also, the chances of her snapping this nude picture of her body then sending it to one of her friends were slim to none. Belle was just too classy to do something so risqué. Even in the photo, she looked very modelesque. It definitely wasn't something she would send to someone just for shits and giggles. This photo was eliciting something provocative. He loosened the necktie under his collar messily, his eyes never pulling away from his phone's screen. Maybe without his tie, oxygen could get to his brain and would help him think clearly.

Another logical reason presented itself in the back of his head, what if she was in some kind of harm. There was a documentary he'd watched about a year ago. It was about how sometimes women who were being attacked or kidnapped would send an unsuspicious picture to alert someone they were in trouble, without being suspected by their assailant. He picked up his phone again, this time trying to look past the focal point of her image. Somehow, as hard as it was, he managed to keep his attention above her neck. She didn't seem like she was in any peril. In the background, she looked to be in the bathroom of her studio apartment above the library. Her captivating face didn't suggest any danger either. Rather, desire and keenness.

In the seconds after confirming that she wasn't in any distress, his eyes drifted to her breasts. This time he couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from them. They looked so supple and soft, even plastered in two dimensions, her breasts appeared sizeable. He knew he was staring, that was for sure, but the photo was so spellbinding, what else could he do? After almost an hour of gazing at her photo and running through all the scenarios, there was only one explanation left. She sent this picture to him because she wanted to.

Maybe Belle had some sort of attraction for him. It would explain why she enjoyed his monthly visits. Perhaps this photo was her confession. Something she could do blindly, without a face to face interaction. Gold had never thought of her as the shy type, but maybe when it came to matters of the heart, she was a tad timid. There wasn't any readable text along with the photo to completely draw to this conclusion, but what else could it be? Perhaps she wanted to see what he thought of her first before approaching him directly. It was very presumptuous of her, but he really, _really_ appreciated her effort.

Something within him magnified, and this bare-breasts picture of her was quickly becoming an obsession. Naughty thoughts crept into his mind as his eyes lingered longer on his newest fixation. His imagination was brimming with images of fondling her breasts while he stood behind her, kissing her neck softly. To no one's surprise, including his own, he didn't banish such thoughts. Instead, he embraced them, just as he presumed Belle did. He imagined himself whisking her around, and beginning at her bountiful hips, which were just off screen, he'd run his hands up the lines of her frame while he listened to her soft, uneven pants until he had reached the culprits of his naughty fantasy of her. At long last, he could sample what decadence she had been offering him.

He had enough of visualizing, he wanted the real thing, but how was he supposed to respond to her? He could just snap a picture of himself, returning the favor, but there was nothing pretty about his chest or his body. Under those tailored and accentuating suits, Gold was a scrawny man, and his pecs were nothing to gawk at. They were meaty, but not from muscles. His arms were thin, and his midsection was gaining a small but increasing pudge. He wouldn't be winning any bodybuilding contests anytime soon. Maybe instead of reciprocating her with a photo, he could just compliment her.

After writing his reply, he went back to the full-screen version of Belle. He propped his phone face up on a pillow beside him and rolled over onto his back, waiting for her reply. His mind began to race. He couldn't believe how quickly he was falling for her from just a picture, and he began to wonder if his reply was a good enough response. Was admiring how lovely her breasts were being too forward? Should he have added something to how beautiful or how radiant she looked? Was he too overly familiar with asking for more topless pictures of her? What if she was expecting a photo back, a tit for tat so to speak. Should he be preparing himself to take a salacious picture too? Pulling his trousers open from his waist, he looked down inside at his semi-hard cock resting against his thigh. Thankfully, its throbbing had halted to a quiver. Gold sighed and closed his pants. Nah, he reconsidered, he couldn't just flash her with a picture of his member. That wasn't the type of first impression he wanted to leave her with if this had any chance of blossoming into something more.

He rolled over in bed and looked at the photo once again. This time he hovered his thumb over her breasts, blocking them from his vision. The cropped picture of her face alone was still breathtaking. She was so beautiful and…. He groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. What the hell was he doing? Eagerly lusting over this digital photo of her like some teenager viewing his first nudie mag. He was acting ridiculous, especially when there was a significant possibility that she didn't harbor any feelings for him, and this whole thing could just be one big misunderstanding.

His phone played a three-tone jingle that meant he had received a text. It was indeed from Belle, and his heart began to beat wildly.

 _We need to talk Mr. Gold.  
but not over the phone, someplace private_

He could put his fears to rest. She wanted him. Badly, from what he gathered from her urgency. Somewhere private alluded to him that she wanted to go on a date. Just the two of them. Alone. He tapped out a reply as quickly as his thumbs would let him _._

 _I'm at your disposal, Ms. French. Just tell me when and where._

 _Your shop. 5 pm. Don't be late_

His shop? A peculiar place for a date, but an excellent idea nonetheless. It was secluded. Nobody visited his shop on Saturdays, and he had everything there they would need to share a lovely evening by themselves. He also had lots more necklaces in his display cases that he could adorn her with. Pearls, amethyst, and diamonds would all look nicely resting against her breasts. Maybe even a collar, or a sapphire choker to match her eyes. There was too much excitement to sleep, but there was much more of Belle to be had in his dreams, and those images of her body didn't stop waist length as the photo did.

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Okay, fine, one more chapter :)  
-RL


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, time to come clean. SO I was shit-faced when I wrote the first chapter of this verse. I literally pulled the second chapter from nowhere because had no clue where drunk!RL was taking this story. That's why it was _supposed_ to be a One- Shot. But you guys are so awesome, and you needed more, so of course I was gonna give it to you. Anyways, sorry this took so long. I wanted it to have a very satisfying ending. So I hope you enjoyed this verse as much as I did.  
-RL

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Belle stared at the big bold letters on the plane ticket in her hands. _One Way_ it read in brush script typeface. She was going to miss this town and some of its charming people. Like the town's carpenter, Marco, who helped with the reconstruction of the library before its reopening. Then there was Leroy, who while repairing the library's heating, burned all the facial hair off his face when the old furnace experienced a small explosion. Belle had never heard such colorful language strung together to make an entirely logical statement. Her best friend Ruby, who also worked at her family's diner. Belle's stomach growled at the thought of going without one of Granny's burgers and homemade iced tea. Ruby wouldn't be happy with her move, but she much rather not live the rest of her life known as the lustful librarian. It was embarrassing enough that she sent that picture to Mr. Gold, but she couldn't subject herself to that horrible rumor if her picture ever got out to the public.

She had to admit it. She was going to miss her landlord too. He wasn't all bad, like some of the residents thought. He had to be curt in his line of work, she supposed. Otherwise, his tenants would probably walk all over him. Gold wasn't a tall man, and he didn't have any intimidating muscles. He used his frankness to his advantage, but he was never like that with her. Instead, in a roundabout way, Mr. Gold seemed to not only care about the welfare of the library but her as well. His monthly visits for the rent were also inspections. Walking about the library, checking different things, like for leaks after a thunderstorm or cracks in the foundation. Belle sort of like the extra treatment he gave her. It made her feel special.

Once, on a Halloween night, Belle was home alone. Deciding not to go to Ruby's costume party this year, and instead enjoy a scary movie and popcorn at home. During the night, a few heavily intoxicated hooligans threw rocks into the windows of the library. The shattering of one then _two_ then _three_ windows nearly sent her to that big library in the sky. In fear for her life, Belle locked herself in a closet, but instead of calling the law enforcement or even her father, she called Mr. Gold. He arrived in mere minutes, but sadly the teenagers had already run off. He found Belle barricaded in her closet, trembling and clutching a vase to her chest for protection. Belle never felt such relief wash over her when she saw him. Terrified, she escaped into his arms, and to her surprise, he wrapped them around her. Comforting her and easing her fears by telling her that the vandals had fled and that everything was going to be okay.

He generously paid for her a room at Granny's Bed and Breakfast for the rest of the night and asked Ruby if she would stay with her. The next day, Mr. Gold on his own tracked down the lowlifes. A feat that even Storybrooke's law enforcement wouldn't have been able to accomplish in one day. After a few days, when she was ready to move back into the library, Belle found a high-tech security system installed. Complete with cameras and an alarm that was sure to scare off any intruders. Belle thanked him, not just for the free security system, but for coming to her rescue.

Belle sighed and pushed the memory aside for now. They could have been really good friends, she thought to herself, and who knows, maybe even more. It was a foolish fantasy now. There was no way he would want to be friends with her. Not after abruptly flashing him with a picture of her breasts, like some intoxicated floozy during Mardi Gras.

The second hand slowly inched its way around the face of the clock. It was time to say goodbye to her home. She slid the plane ticket into her pocket and peeked at his pawnshop through the window blinds. The coast was clear. The road was empty of any onlookers that would notice her entering Mr. Gold's shop and question what she was doing there.

Layers, she reminded herself as she locked up her library for the last time. Last night, the ten o'clock weather forecaster told her to wear layers. She groaned and curled into herself, holding her shivering arms. If she hadn't been so busy snapping pictures of her breasts last night, and then, sending it to the wrong person, maybe she would have remembered that layers tip sooner than now. The jacket she wore over a long-sleeved dress was not the smartest attire for a windy winter day like today, and neither was wearing her hair down, but all her winter coats were packed up, and thankfully, his shop wasn't far from the library.

As she opened the door to his shop, a passing breeze shoved Belle inside, almost knocking her over. The strong gust muddled up her hair and clothing in the process. Just great, could her life get any worse? She tossed her hair back with a flick of her head and swept the tassels of hair from her face, hoping that would remedy the problem. Nervously, she chewed her bottom lip, hoping he didn't see all that hassle she had to go through just to enter a door.

Gold saw the whole thing from behind the store counter. She walked in like a goddess bathed in light. The sunlight from outside outlined her body from behind and placed in her a golden silhouette. Her brown hair bounced and swayed in the wind as she entered. Then, like a runway model, she tossed her hair to one side before biting her bottom lip innocently like in her photo. Never has woman entered his shop like that before, she was really trying to impress him with her beauty, but little did she know, Belle already had him by the balls.

"Oh, bloody hell-" Belle said, fighting to get her jacket off.

"Let me help you with that," He said, stepping from behind the counter.

He slid her jacket off her shoulders, his fingertips lightly brushed over her chest as he did. He placed her coat and bag safely behind him on a coat rack. Astonished by her beauty, he took a step back, appreciating this real, walking and talking, version of the woman from the photo.

"Thank you." She said, smiling politely.

He gave her a soft smile back. "The least I can do."

A troublesome silence fell between them. That had been Belle's biggest fear about this meeting, that it was going to become awkward. So to prevent any more unnecessary embarrassment, she decided to get straight to the point.

Her hands began to fidget. "So I'm sure you're wondering about… well, of what I sent you last night."

"Indeed. But first, would you mind joining me in the backroom?" He asked, holding out his arm to gesture towards the curtains that divided the front end of the store.

Belle shrugged. She supposed it didn't matter where she told him about how she mistakenly sent him a picture of her breasts, just so long as she told him. Belle followed him the short distance to his backroom where he held open the curtains for her to enter first. In the center of the room, she found a table draped with a very ornately decorated tablecloth. On the top were plates of fruits and chocolates and a bottle of expensive-looking white wine. Candles were lit, and two dozen red roses sat neatly in a vase. Maybe he was expecting company after her visit. It was a really romantic setting. There was even a beautiful melody coming from a gramophone. Belle didn't take Mr. Gold as a man with many private affairs, but it was interesting to know that he was capable of being a romantic, and whoever this lucky lady was, she was in for a lovely treat. He held out the chair for her, urging her to take a seat at the table.

"Um- Oh thank you." She said, looking at all the romantic items on the table, careful not to disturb anything. "Everything looks nice. I'd hate to mess anything up."

After retrieving two wine glasses from a cupboard, he returned to the table where Belle sat nervously with her hands in her lap. He sat the flutes down and pulled the cork from the bottle with a loud echoing pop. She watched him pour the wine into her glass, and she couldn't help but wonder why. Maybe he thought the drinks would help her feel more comfortable about discussing her unfathomable situation.

"Perhaps we should talk about it first," Belle said, chuckling nervously. "I think it would be best if I have my wits about me."

He nodded and filled his glass, then took his seat opposite of her. "If talking makes you feel more comfortable, than I'm all ears."

Belle forced the corners of her mouth up into a smile, but on the inside, she was screaming with apprehension. Why did she have to take that damn picture? If only she'd just ignored Gaston's text, she wouldn't be in this predicament. Mr. Gold wouldn't know what her breasts looked like, and she would be heading over to the diner for Granny's overpraised lasagna. Which she didn't even like, but anything would top having to explain why she sent a nude picture to her landlord.

"Mr. Gold." She sighed and shook her head, racking her brain, searching for those right words to express how sorry she was. "What you must think of me. I can assure you that I'm not trying to lower my rent with that photo I shared with you."

Bad start, Belle thought to herself. She was already indirectly incriminating herself.

"I thought no such thing, and you don't have to explain yourself." He said.

"It's just that I was really nervous about doing something so..-"

"Naughty." He finished for her, smirking widely.

Belle could hear her heartbeat thumping in her ears when he said the word naughty, and at this moment, she was swimming in her embarrassment. She desperately needed to get this apology out. "Yes, and I had no idea what I was doing-"

"Sometimes people do unusual things in the heat of passion, everyone does, but you shouldn't feel guilty for it. It's human nature."

"That makes me feel better. I knew I had to apologize to you, but I couldn't over the phone. I had to confront you, face to face, to tell you this. So you'll know that I had no malice intended when I sent you that picture. Its just that-" Belle groaned defeatedly. "I don't know how to say this."

He smiled. "Just speak your mind, Belle. You may just find that I feel the same way."

"Well, you see, it's just this guy-" Her next words caught in her throat. "Wait a minute-?" She looked around the table and realization fell on her like a piano from the sky. The wine, the flowers, the sweets. _This_ was for her. _This_ was a date for her. "Mr. Gold, did you think that the picture I sent was meant for you?"

When Gold saw the awareness and confusion in her brilliant blue eyes, the same eyes he stared in for hours last night, he felt all the color drain from his face. His fears were coming true. That picture was not meant for his eyes, and he had spent the better part of last night staring at that picture of her. Fantasizing and lusting for her like some disgusting Peeping Tom. Any fate would be better then what he was going through. In his hurry, trying to remove himself from this awful situation, he stood up and tipped over the table, knocking over the wine glasses and spilling it all over Belle's clothes. She emitted a small yelp as the cold liquid touched her skin. Gold grabbed the nearest napkin he could find and began dabbing the drink from her clothes, keeping the rag as far as possible from her upper-half.

"I'm so sorry, Belle. I- I-" He said, scrambling to get her dry as much as he could.

She giggled, wringing out the remainder of wine from the hem of her dress. "No. it's okay."

"But- but your clothes."

"It's only wine. A bit of water will take care of it." Looking over his shoulder, Belle spotted a clothing rack in a far corner. "May I borrow something of yours until mine are dry?"

In his embarrassment, he completely forgot about the clothing he kept in his backroom. "Of course, take whatever you like. I'll just step outside and give you some privacy."

He left in a hurry. Diverting his eyes away from Belle as he went. He felt like the biggest fool in the world, and not to mention an asshole too. Admiring her breasts and features, even boldly asking for another nude picture. He paced the lobby of his shop, thinking of ways to apologize to her. Any moment now, Belle would appear from behind those curtains. What was he going to say to her? Or should he say anything at all? Maybe the best idea was just to leave. He could come back later, after she had left, to lock up the shop. Then Monday, he could find Belle a new landlord. He knew she wouldn't feel comfortable around him anymore. A perverted voyeur like him, collecting her rent, just wouldn't work. There was no possibility of them resuming business together; things just wouldn't be the same as they were before. Just as he was putting his arms through the sleeves of his coat, the divider curtains ruffled and moved to one side.

"How much is this one?" Belle asked, twirling from side to side in a knee-length evening gown.

It was a one of a kind vintage Louis Vuitton cocktail dress with a retail value well over fifteen hundred dollars, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her that. She looked absolutely stunning in it. The dress left little to nothing to the imagination. A beaded embroidery v-shaped neckline plunged and exposed an ample amount of her cleavage, making it nearly impossible for him not to stare. Out of all the dresses he owned, why did she have to choose that one? It was so revealing, and after what just happened, the last thing he wanted was for her to catch him gawking at her.

"For you, no charge." He answered and looked away. "But why that one? I'm sure I have others that are more comfortable."

"I think it's gorgeous, don't you?" Belle asked. She began to walk towards him when she noticed that his coat was half on. "Were you leaving?"

"I thought maybe I shouldn't be around when you returned." He said, still redirecting his eyes from her, but that dress was making it so damn hard, and at this moment, he'd almost considered that maybe it was rude not to stare.

"Nonsense." She said pushing his coat from his shoulders. "Our date was just beginning, can we continue?"

"Ms. French, I'm not sure if that's wise, under these circumstances," Gold sighed and took a step back. "I-I just don't want you to get the wrong idea about me. Maybe it's best to put this all behind us and forget it ever happened."

Belle moved closer to him. "But I'm glad it happened. Yes, it was a misunderstanding, but don't you think these things happen for a reason?"

"If that's so, then fate has a funny sense of humor."

"I would say so." Belle giggled. "So you liked it then, my picture?

He couldn't answer that without sounding like some pervert. He beamed at her, probing her blue eyes for answers to his own questions. "Who was the photo meant for?"

"A guy friend." She said, rolling her eyes at the thought of Gaston.

"I see. You've never mentioned him before."

"Well, there's not much to talk about when it comes to Gaston," Belle explained. "The only reason why I even took those pictures was because I thought it would hold off his attempts to get into my pants."

Gold chuckled. "I can assure you, Ms. French. Photos like the one you sent me will only expedite his motives."

"Then I should count myself lucky that you were the one who received my photo." She said, putting a look of shock on his face.

She took him by the hand and guided him to his backroom, where it looked like she had cleaned up the mess he'd made and reset the table. The roses sat upright, and the candles flickered with a new ray of excitement, and somehow she managed to salvage some of the sweets. Belle sat him down in his seat gently, taking his cane and perching it on the back of the chair before taking her seat too.

"When I woke up this morning," she continued, pouring their wine. "I had a message from Gaston. He stated that he felt like our relationship was going nowhere and that we should start seeing other people."

"So, you didn't try to resend it to him?" Gold asked, still incredulous about what was happening to him. How could she be so cordial and relaxed about sending an intimate picture to someone it wasn't meant for, not to mention she was dumped this morning, which was sort of his fault.

Belle giggled and shook her head no. "Nothing can emphasize how much I'd grown to despise Gaston and it was dumb of me to try and make him lose interest with a nude picture. It wasn't like he would fully appreciate it anyway."

"Than he's probably a bigger fool than me."

"You're not a fool, Mr. Gold. And just because the photo wasn't for you, doesn't mean I'm not glad you got it instead." Belle took a sip of her drink. "Do you still have it?"

"Have what?"

"The picture."

"I can delete it if you want." Gold said with a bowed head. Ashamed to admit it.

"No. I want you to keep it." She said, and Gold lifted his head to see if she was joking or not. "You know, I've never taken a nude picture before."

Gold couldn't tell. From the picture, it looked like she knew exactly what she was doing, even on some professional level. "What was your first time like?"

"Scary at first." She admitted. "After I took off my clothes, I felt so exposed, almost like I was standing naked in a crowd of people. But by the third or fourth picture, I felt more comfortable, and it was kind of fun."

He could definitely tell she was enjoying herself from the picture.

"If I can be honest with you for a moment," He inquired, and Belle nodded yes. "I stared at that picture for hours. Even today, I stole a few glances before you came."

Belle blushed and playfully flicked her hand. "You did not."

"I can assure you I did." Gold chuckled, refilling her glass, then his.

"Is that why you asked for another one?" Belle giggled. "I thought you were just being ironic, or something."

He rested his hand on hers. "Of course not. But I feel like I should apologize for taking advantage of something that wasn't meant for me and for the advances I've made on you."

"No need, Mr. Gold. You didn't know, and as I said before, I'm happy you got it. And arranging this date for us was a lovely gesture." Belle said, lacing her fingers with his and holding his hand.

Things were moving quickly for them, it wasn't conventional, but it felt right. Maybe there was nothing wrong with being a little forward, and besides, there were worst ways to fall in love. Out of nowhere, the alarm from Belle's cell phone rung and brought the couple back down to earth.

She pulled it out and silenced the alarm quickly. She nearly forgot that she was on her way to becoming a Floridian. "Looks like I'm going to be late for my flight."

"Your flight? Were you leaving?"

Belle pulled out the ticket from her pocket and effortlessly ripped it into two pieces. "It's nothing."

It dawned on him rather quickly. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "Don't tell me you were thinking of running."

"If you accidentally sent a topless picture to your landlord, wouldn't you run?"

"I probably would, but I can put your fears to rest. I would never share your picture with anyone." Gold reassured, lifting his glass for another drink.

"I know you wouldn't," Belle said. "So, do you still want another picture of me?"

He nearly choked on the wine. "Oh Belle, you don't have to -"

"I know, I know," Belle bit her bottom lip. "But I want to."

He thought to himself for a moment, "Well, in that case, I think I have something that would help. Follow me."

Belle followed him to a cupboard where she found several small boxes. He told her to open anyone that interested her. She decided to pick up a beige heart-shaped velvet box, and inside was a diamond necklace. Her eyes widen at how it shimmered and glowed in the light. It was probably the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"Turn around."

She did and swept her hair to one side. He placed the necklace around her collar gently, the cold metal combined with his warm touch gave her goosebumps. After he fastened it, he pulled the rest of her auburn hair through and flattened down the buckle, making it look seamless, but as he did, he couldn't seem to move his hands off her. He ran a thumb down the back of her neck, and she exhaled softly. He knew he shouldn't have been touching her, but keeping his hands to himself was the furthest thing from his mind. When she turned around, he didn't know what his favorite thing about her wearing this necklace was. The chain of the necklace, hugging her collarbone while the large stone rested between her cleavage, or how it matched perfectly with her eyes. An invisible force called desire drew him closer to her. He didn't realize how close he was getting until his lips met hers.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's okay, its fine." Belle stroked some of his hair from his face and kissed him, passionately returning the favor. "It's beautiful."

"You can wear it whenever you decide to take another picture." He said, still reeling from their kiss.

"I've got a better idea." One by one, with her gaze locked on his, Belle slid the straps of her dress off her shoulders and lowered the bodice until she stood topless in front of him. She tossed him her phone. "You do the honors."


End file.
